Celebrating the perfect imperfection of circles by Thomas Brown and Lightning + Kinglyface
If you’ve ever whiled away time (in a coffee shop or solicitor’s office say) by trying to draw the perfect circle you’ll know how ruddy frustrating it can be (damn you last minute bump!). But hang on, it turns out there’s a theory that it’s an impossible task to even create the perfect circle in this world as some outside influence will always distort it however minutely.
Superb photographer Thomas Brown and brilliant set design duo Lightning + Kinglyface have teamed up to explore this idea, “creating the most perfect, imperfect circles, embracing improbability, chaos and letting the world around us disturb mathematical perfection to make beauty.”
The project, called 2-(y-b)2 = r2 (the equation of a circle) has been released gradually over a six-week period and as you’d expect from such talented creative minds the results have been breathtaking, using smoke, sugar, fabric and bubbles to make their point that the pursuit of perfection is a Sisyphean endeavour.
As the last circle is released today we are delighted to present the entire series in all its barnstorming glory.
Thomas Brown/Lightning + Kinglyface: Circles – glitter
Thomas Brown/Lightning + Kinglyface: Circles – sugar bal
Thomas Brown/Lightning + Kinglyface: Circles – smoke
Thomas Brown/Lightning + Kinglyface: Circles – bubble
Thomas Brown/Lightning + Kinglyface: Circles – milk I
Thomas Brown/Lightning + Kinglyface: Circles – sugar ball deteriorated
Thomas Brown/Lightning + Kinglyface: Circles – paint
Thomas Brown/Lightning + Kinglyface: Circles – milk II
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About the Author
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Rob Alderson is a freelance writer, editor and strategist. He was previously editor-in-chief of It’s Nice That and WePresent, and editor of Design Week. He publishes the newsletter Undo, which tries to make sense of how AI is changing design work, the design process and the design industry.
